After nearly 50 years on death row, Richard Gerald Jordan—Mississippi’s longest-serving death row inmate—was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday evening. The 79-year-old was convicted for the brutal 1976 kidnapping and murder of Edwina Marter, a mother of two, in a crime that has haunted her family for nearly five decades.
Jordan’s execution was carried out at 6:16 p.m. local time, marking Mississippi’s first in two years. Despite numerous appeals and legal maneuvers to have his sentence commuted to life in prison, Jordan ultimately faced the punishment he had eluded for nearly half a century.
On the day of the crime, Jordan had called the Gulf National Bank in Gulfport, where Charles Marter—Edwina’s husband—worked, confirming that he was at the office. With Edwina home alone, Jordan went to their residence, kidnapped her, and later shot her dead in a wooded area. Investigators believe Jordan intended to demand a $50,000 ransom but killed Edwina before any exchange could take place.
In an emotional statement delivered before the execution, Edwina Marter’s family spoke about their lasting pain. Her nephew, Keith De Gruy, reading on behalf of her surviving husband and sons, said:
“Nothing will bring back our mom, sister, aunt, and friend. Nothing will ever change what Jordan took from us 49 years ago.”
He continued:
“Jordan tried desperately to change his ruling so he could simply die in prison. We never had that option. He took Edwina’s life and never considered those of us left behind.”
Edwina’s sons were just 10 and 3 years old when their mother was murdered.
Before his death, Jordan addressed the victim’s family with a disturbing blend of remorse and eerie finality:
“First, I would like to thank everyone for a humane way of doing this. I want to apologize to the victim’s family. I will see you on the other side, all of you.”
His final meal included chicken tenders, French fries, strawberry ice cream, and a root beer float.
Jordan’s execution was only the third in Mississippi over the past decade, a stark contrast to states like Florida, where executions remain more frequent. Just this year, Florida has already executed seven death row inmates, the most recent being Thomas Lee Gudinas, who raped and murdered 27-year-old Michelle McGrath in 1994. Like Jordan, Gudinas had spent decades awaiting his fate on death row.
Jordan’s death closes a chapter in one of Mississippi’s longest-running capital punishment cases, but for the Marter family, the grief remains as raw as it was in 1976.
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